Indurated albuminoid compound.



UNITED STATES PATENT orricn,

BYRON B. eowsmrrn, on NEW Ionian. Y.

INDURATED ALBUMINOID COMBOUND.

scares,

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJuly 19, 1am:

Ho Drawin g'. original application. filed October 7, 1907, Serial No. $6,189. Divided and this application i filed January 2,1909. Serial 80.470393,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, BYRON B. GoLosMrrH, a c1tizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and

ill

State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in lndurated Albuminoid Com ouhds, of which the following is a speci cation.

This a plication is a division of my pending app ication for improvement in lndurated thermoplastic compound, filed Oct. 7th 1907, Serial No. 396,189. I.

In my. U. S. Patent Number 840,931,,dated January 8th 1909, I have described a process whereby a thermoplastic compound may be made 'rom casein or its derivatives, as a convenient and cheap substitute for celluloid, rubber and the like; and I made it clear in said patent that the term thermd plastic was meant to describe those masses which, while relatively hard at ordinary temperatures, are rendered softer by heat,

. so as to permit the uniting of separate masses and the molding of any mass to any desired shape. 4.

' My presentinventionis based upon the idiscovery that, by uniting the action of converting agents withlthat of an indurating agent, such as formaldehyde, or its equivalents, upon vegetable albuminoi'ds or pro; teids and their derivatives or compounds, an improved result is obtained, and a mass is produced which is useful for many purposes. Among such proteids may "be mentioned gluten, vegetable ivory, zein and other albuminoids found in the vegetable kingdom, and their derivatives and compounds.

My novel invention is based upon the discovery-that the three principal -elements of'niy' compound, namely, the vegetable proteid, a converting agent and'an indurating agent (particularly formaldehyde or its equivalent) can be combined substantially as herein described and l have discovered that formaldehyde or its equivalent has the effect of correcting certain undesirable tend encies apt to follow the use of a converting agent, as will appear herein-after.

The convertin agent in my process is that chemical su stance'which, when combined or admixed with the albuminoid, acts whenever heated, to soften the. same, but

phloro' lucin,

' whose softening action' is suspended or materially dimlnished upon lowering the temperature of the mass. Some of these converting agents are alpha-naphthol, betanaphthol, benzoic acid, carbolic acid, hydrochinon, kresol, ,pyrocatechin, resorcm, salicylic acid, urea, benzoic acid, hthalic acid,

yrogallol, ani in, to uidin and xy idin. A ithough these substances and their derivatives and compounds are known to me to give good results for the. purposes above set forth, it is to be understood that I do not. limit myself to Qb -ie substances andtheir derivatives and compounds, but that the term converting a cut as used herein refers to an compoun or substance having the efiect escribed. 7

Certain converting agents are better adapted to be used with'some vegetable proteids than with others, and in many cases the derivatives ofisuch proteids or their compounds: or; combinations of two or more protei'ds (their derilya'tives or compounds) give 'results-superior'to those resulting from use of a single unchanged proteid.

.' The degree of hardness of the thermoplastic compound in the cold state will vary with the particular converting agent or agents employed. and ,with the FI'OPONIOZIS uSedjThus agreat variety 0 charactertill ishios, are obtainedb suitable variations in proportions and qua ities.

In the manufacture of my composition a proteid is mixed with the convertin and the indurating agent, and heated until the mass assumes a suitable consistency for working on the mixing rolls. Any other method of uniting these substances may be resorted to by which they are brought into intimate contact. Instead-ofmsing the converting agents in the natural state, they may be'use'd insolutio'n, in alcohol or water, or other suitable: li uid which is afterward driven on by heatmg. The amount of convertin agentwhich can be mixed with the vegeta 1e proteid can be varied within wide limits when used in combination with an indurating agent and can be anywhere from less than one-quarter the amount of proteid did ' resistancejto the action of water and lessening the tendency to separation of ingredients. Another advantage of using the indurating agent is that it lessens the possible tendency of the mass to stick to the mold in forming, and thus produce a better impression. The use of formaldehyde or its equivalents in the manner herein specified has another valuable advantage. It is found that when the converting agent is a solid one and is used without an indurating agent in sufiicient quantities to make an easily moldable mass, there is a tendency for the converting agent to separate and form a depositupon the surface of the finished article. T is gives a spotted appearance which would make an article unmarketable. On the other hand, if the indurating agent is used, this tendencyis entirely overcome, and a composition madein accordance with my present invention may contain very lar e amounts of converting a ent and can e' made as plastic as desire without dan er of spotting through the cause above escribed.

Instead ofacting on the vegetable proteid with the converting agent and the indurating agent so that the two are added together to the vegetable proteid as above described, I can employ the converting agent first, by

proceeding as follows: If only surface action is required, the compound of proteid and converting agent is molded into a proximately final form, and may 'then e ipped into a solution of the indurating 1 agent or may be sub'ected to aseous action I by heat and pressure. 80

(where formaldehy e is used After this treatment has been prolonged until the required depth of action is attained, the artly formed mass can be heated and mol ed to final'form. Again, my process may be carried out b sprinkling the combined albuminoid an converti a ent in a finely dividedstate with a so ut1on of the induratingi agent and then, after sufiiciently continue action, drying the mass and molding it I have found that, in order to obtain the best results a non-hygroscopic converting agent should be used, and I have made a specific claim herein for converting agents of this character.

It is to beunderstood that my process 1 ing agent an may be carried out with a greater or less degree of induration, and in some cases it is not advisable to carry this process very far. The indurating agent may obviously be first em loyed in manufacture of the material be ore compression and a second time upon thei compressed mass or on the finished artic e.

I do not herein claim specifically the process of treating with the indurating agent before addition of the converting agent, as

this is claimed in a divisional application filed April 27th 1910, Serial No. 558,033.

What I claim is 1. The process of producin a thermoplastic compound which consists in subjecting a vegetab e proteid to the combined action of a converting agent and an indurating agent and heating and ressing the mass, substantially as described.

2. The process of producing a thermoplastic compound which consists in mixing a converting agent with a vegetable. proteid and causing an indurating agent to act upon the mixed ingredients, substantially as described.

3. The process of producing a thermoplastic compound whlch consists in intimately m1x1ng a converting agent and an indurating agent with a vegetable proteid and subjecting the mass to heat and pressure, substantially as described.

4. The process 'of producing a thermoplastic compound which consists in subjectmg gluten to the combined action of a convertmg agent and an indurating agent, substantially as described.

5. The process of producing a thermoplastic compound which consists in uniting a vegetable proteid with formaldehyde or its equivalent, and a converting agent, and heating and pressing the mass, substantially as described.

6. The process of roducing a thermoplastic compound whic consists in uniting a vegetable proteid with an indurating agent an a normally solid converting agent, and

heating and pressing the mass, substantially as described.

7. The process of producing a thermoplastic compound which consists in subject-.

mg gluten to the combined action of betaent, substantially as deplastic compound which consists in first uniting a vegetable proteid with an indurata converting agent non-volatile hthol or its e uivalent and formalde 10. The process of producing a thermoplastic compound which consists in first uniting a vegetable proteid with formaldehyde and a converting agent non-volatile at ordinary temperatures and then subjecting the mass to heat and pressure, substantially as described. I

11. The process of producing 'a' thermoplastic compound which consists in uniting a vegetable proteid with formaldehyde or its equivalent and with a converting agent, and heating and pressing the mass, substantially as described.

12. The process of producing a thermoplastic compound which consists in uniting a vegetable proteid with formaldehyde or its equivalent, and beta-naphthol or its. equivalent, and heating and pressing the mass, substantially as described.

13. The process of producing a thermoplastic compound which consists in first uniting a vegetable proteid with a converting agent and then subjecting the mass to the action of an indurating agent, substantially as described.

14. The process of producing a thermoplastic compound which consists in first uniting a vegetable proteid with a converting agent and an indurating agent and then subjecting the mass to the further action of an indurating agent, substantially as described.

15. The process of producing a thermoplastic compound which consists in unitin a vegetable proteid with beta-naphthol an modlfying the mass by the action of formaldehyde, substantially as described.

16. The process of producing a thermo-- plastic compound which consists in subjecting a vegetable proteid to the combined action of a convertmg agent and an indurating agent, substantially as described.

17 A composition of matter consisting of a thermoplastic vegetable proteid modified by an indurating agent, substantially as described.

18. A composition of matter consisting of a thermoplastic vegetable proteid modified by formaldehyde, substantially as described.

19. A composition of matter consisting of a vegetable proteid united with beta-naphthol or its equivalent, and an indurating agent, substantially as described.

20. A composition of matter consisting of a vegetable proteid united with beta-naphthol and modified by formaldehyde, substantially as described. a

21. A composition of matter consisting of a vegetable proteid united with a solid convertmg agent and an indurating agent, substantially as described.

22. A composition of matter consisting of a vegetable proteid united with a mixture of a converting agent and an indurating agent, substantially as described.

23. A composition of matter consisting of a mixture of a vegetable proteid, beta-naph-v thol or its equivalent, and formaldehyde or its equivalent, substantially as described.

24. A composition of matter consisting of a mixture of gluten, a converting agent and an indurating agent, substantially as described.

25. A composition of matter consisting of a mixture of gluten, beta-naphthol or its equivalent and formaldehyde or its equivalent, substantially as described.

e BYRON B. GOLDSMITH.

Witnesses: H. S. MACKAYE,

M. A. BUTLER. 

